Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Summary: Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami's simple yet evocative films such as BADKONAKE SEFID (THE WHITE BALLOON) owe much to the influential Japanese filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu. FIVE - DEDICATED TO OZU, Kiarostami's homage to Ozu's sparse cinematic style, comprises five short sequences filmed with a hand-held camera and centred on a nautical theme. There is no narrative or mise-en-scene as such here and the emphasis is put on an observational filmic vision. The camera follows a piece of driftwood swept around by the waves, people strolling along a promenade, a group of dogs gathering by the water, and ducks walking back and forth on the beach. Kiarostami's slow-paced minimalist art-house film offers a poetic take on the unfolding cycle of nature.

Award-winning Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami (A TASTE OF CHERRY, THROUGH THE OLIVE TREES) goes for a meditative change of pace with FIVE - DEDICATED TO OZU, a gorgeous work set on the shores of Galicia in Spain. The 74-minute film consists of five pieces, all focusing on the ocean, with no camera movement--save for one brief pan--and only natural sound, except for short musical interludes linking the sections. The first piece centres on a chunk of driftwood on the shore as the waves slowly approach it, threatening its existence. For the second section, Kiarostami sets his camera up behind the boardwalk, with the beach in the distance, as people make their way in and out of camera range. The third part is back on the sand, watching a group of stray dogs interact, forming their own private society. Next, a parade of ducks come quacking one way, then the other, adding comic relief to the contemplative setting. And finally, the last scene is a night time opera of nature, as frogs and other animals make noise as the moon tries to peer through the clouds, a rainstorm approaches, and the water in a pond glistens. Made in 2003, the unusual film is a mesmerising masterpiece of simplicity dedicated to the 100th birthday of the great Japanese writer-director Yasujiro Ozu, who attempted to capture real life in such moving family portraits as TOKYO STORY, A STORY OF FLOATING WEEDS, and EARLY SPRING.

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Aspect Ratio:	4:3 Full Frame
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	The Making Of F I V E with English subtitles
Year:	2004
Release Date:	March 31, 2008
Runtime:	74 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	B F I V D 709
Keywords:	World, Five, English, General, Cinema, Documentaries, Biographies
Genre:	Documentaries & Biographies